Moody atmospheric punks, Psychic Teens, just shared a single off their soon-to-be-released record HEX, and it’s some deep, dark stuff. Single, “SICKO,” is an echoey, slowed-building power track that bluntly calls out a narcissistic society.

The band’s gothy, noise-filled shoegaze is matched with the monotone yet biting lyrics: “No one cares about anything other than themselves / I see it everyday, it makes me want to end it all.” Continuing on the narrative of the disgusted observer, the lines follow: “But I must go on / just to get my sick amusement / watching culture crash and burn.” Continue reading →

I don’t know about you, but I wish my birthday parties as a kid had been this awesome. Badass live band, fog machines, Rodney Anonymous of The Dead Milkmen serving cake to me and my gothed-up sugared-up friends.

The video for “Everything” from Psychic Teens‘ new LP Nerve depicts the coolest kids’ party ever (at least in a punk rock kind of way) – and in order to do that, the band basically threw the coolest kids’ party ever, inviting their longtime friends who’d reached child-rearing age to bring their families to PhilaMOCA for an afternoon shoot. Continue reading →

Atmospheric punk band Psychic Teens have shared yet another single from their upcoming album NERVE titled, “Winter Grey.”

“Winter Grey” follows up previous singles “Everything” and “End” with big, heavy guitars and drums laced in a thick reverb that channels both Sonic Youth and Joy Division. NERVE, the band’s follow-up to 2013’s COME, will be released on May 13th through vinyl, cassette, CD, and digital, and can be pre-ordered here. Continue reading →

Philly post-punk band Psychic Teens have shared the first track from their upcoming third album, NERVE, which will be released on May 13th through SRA Records.

This first song, “End”, will actually be the last song on the eight song album. “End”, which was shared yesterday via The Fader, creates a climactic and chaotic six-minute burst of shoegaze energy funneled through 80’s metal influenced guitars and reverb laden vocals. The band’s most recent releases were the “Face” single from 2014 and their album COME from 2013. Continue reading →

UK psych rock legends Primal Scream return to Philly tonight to headline The TLA. The band released its tenth album, More Light, in 2013 and is stateside this year for a run of club and festival dates, including Levitation Fest in Austin last week. Joining them on the show are the dark and atmospheric Philly power trip Psychic Teens, who are recording their third LP at South Jersey’s Gradwell House Studio. Tickets and more information on the show can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar. Continue reading →

Local gloom-rock outfit Psychic Teens will release a new 7″ next month on Reptilian Records. This week we got a preview of the record with “Face,” the a-side of the two-track recording (“All” will be on the flip side).

Just when you thought The Shining couldn’t get anymore classically creepy, it does. Tonight at PhilaMOCA as part of the Cinedelphia Film Festival, the 1980 horror classic will be projected forwards and backwards simultaneously on one screen creating an even more chilling experience for the audience. This idea originally comes from John Fell Ryan’s work with Brooklyn’s Spectacle Theater and later from a 2012 documentary Room 237. To top things off, Philly goth punks Psychic Teens will perform a live score to accompany the film. Watch their video for “LESS” below and get tickets here.

Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 thriller The Shining is, by the estimation of many film buffs, one of the most complex and intense pieces of cinema ever made. Is it visually arresting, and harnesses sonic minimalism brilliantly to strike unsettling moods. Those who have spent any amount of time in a dark theater or an empty apartment watching the film know that it doesn’t deliver the type of horror where a dude in a mask jumps out and goes “BOO!” – it is the type of horror that sticks with you long after the credits have rolled.

The 2012 documentary Room 237 is a must-view for any fan of The Shining, whether you’ve watched it once or dozens of times. The film digs deep below the surface of already-tangled picture, espousing various analyses and hypotheses that range from plausable to odd-but-intriguing to looney conspiracy theorist.

Falling somewhere in the middle of that spectrum is the idea that if you watch simultaneous versions of The Shining – one starting at the beginning and moving forward and one in reverse, projected on top – scenes line up in strange, unexpected and possibly subliminally symbolic ways. In one sequence, Jack Nicholson’s face matches perfectly with the contours of a wall clock. Elsewhere, the grimacing ghost twins line up with Shelly Duvall running, frightened, in the snow. An injured Danny lies overtop the elevator of blood opening its doors.

The simultaneous screening was first staged in Brooklyn by artist, researcher and enthusiast John Fell Ryan. He took the idea from a heady film analysis that refers to The Shining as “a film organized with logic that flows both backwards and forwards” and says it “even seems to operate backwards, which means the film is a mirror of itself through time. The Shining is a film meant to be seen both forwards and backwards.” In his experiment, Ryan took that literally.

Tomorrow night, the Cinedelphia Festival will re-create Ryan’s The Shining, Forwards and Backwards, Simultaneously Superimposed at PhilaMOCA with a live score performed by Philadelphia noise-punk three-piece Psychic Teens, a band that’s no stranger to ambiance and mood-setting. I swapped e-mails with the band for some perspective on the project and what we can expect.

Psychic Teens | Photo by Oren H Echtman

The Key: How did Psychic Teens first hear of The Shining backwards-forwards simultaneous projection phenomenon? Had you seen it in person before this project came about?

Psychic Teens: We weren’t aware of it until we’d heard about it in Rodney Ascher’s Room 237 documentary.

TK: What’s your read on the instances of stuff lining up between the two…interesting and eerie coincidences, or intentional arrangement on the part of Kubrick?

PT: It could be neither a coincidence nor a planned thing. It’s likely a reflection of a very methodical and obsessive filmmaker and the way that he created and laid out his vision, leading to things meeting up in interesting ways. Similarly, the entire film is visually stunning…of course it’s going to look even more incredible when you double the amount of imagery on the screen. Eerie is an understatement. Now we’re interested in further investigation of his other films in this manner. No spoilers – but the symmetry within the center portion of the film is crazy intense. Continue reading →

Local blues-rockers Big Terrible headline MilkBoy. Endorsed by Tommy Conwell, the three-piece released its third record, the Rotten City EP, in mid-2013. The six-track album balances blues ballads with amped up, plugged in rock jams a la Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Tickets and information for the 21+ show can be found here.

On WKDU Live!!!! Volume 1 the Drexel University radio station revisits top moments from its punk past. A station ID from the Beastie Boys starts off the free download, which features over 30 tracks recorded live in the WKDU studio from a plethora of local acts including Birds of Maya, Algernon Cadwallader, Restorations and Arc in Round along with a few national bands. Stream “Tiny Town” by Everyone Everywhere below and get the full collection here.

About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH

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About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH